War Money On Hold in Guns vs. Butter Fight
The connection between runaway war spending and jobs burst into view in Washington last week. House Appropriations chair Dave Obey put a hold on the $33 billion Afghanistan supplemental war funding until money is passed for domestic programs including Medicaid assistance, money to prevent teacher layoffs, and unemployment insurance extension.
Senate Republicans successfully filibustered a scaled-back jobs/tax-extenders bill June 17, ensuring that the impasse will continue into this week, while Defense Secretary Gates worried that "the military may have to start furloughing civilians and might not be able to pay members of the active-duty military" if the $33 billion is not passed by July 4. The standoff gives us additional time to pressure House members to vote against the war funding.
Call your Member of Congress at 202-224-3121 today and say: - Vote NO on the $33 billion to escalate the Afghanistan war - even if unrelated measures are attached to the bill.
- Spend the money on jobs, education and healthcare instead.
- Sponsor Rep. Jim McGovern's exit timeline bill, HR.5015 (needed for Tsongas and Lynch only; all other Mass. Reps are sponsoring)
- Join the Out of Afghanistan Caucus, which gives an official voice in Congress to the movement to end the Afghanistan war. (McGovern and Capuano who have already joined)
Report your results to UJP!
56% of the American people now oppose the war in Afghanistan. Over 100 antiwar vigils, called by Progressive Democrats of America with support from UJP and others, targeted Congressional offices June 16, with the next round scheduled for July 21. The U.S. war in Afghanistan cannot succeed. Democracy cannot be built under a foreign military occupation. Afghans and their neighboring countries must settle their conflict by negotiations. The U.S. can provide development aid but cannot dictate the outcome. U.S. troops must come home so that the healing can begin. We need the money at home for jobs, education, housing, and the environment.
Announcing last week that Afghanistan has enormous mineral deposits, supposedly worth more than $900 billion, the administration hoped to build new support for the U.S. effort to hold onto the country by giving multinational mining and energy companies an interest in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the military started to lay the groundwork for extending the occupation beyond the July 2011 date set by President Obama to start withdrawals.
As Congress hesitates between spending on guns or butter, millions of U.S. workers remain unemployed or under-employed as unemployment insurance extensions start to expire. Congress failed to extend COBRA subsidies that would enable some of the long term unemployed to retain the health insurance they had on their previous jobs. Nearly every city and county government in the country is taking an axe to the social safety net programs that keep the noses of the poor above water. Schools are being shuttered, teachers are being laid off, parks are being closed.
Yet Congress and the Obama administration, which had such an easy time writing checks to bankers and investors, have developed writer's cramp when it comes to funding programs that will put people back to work, repair the safety net, and address the myriad social problems that afflict the country. This is the contradiction which was brought into view by Rep. Obey's hold on the supplemental appropriation.
Don't let this moment pass! Call Congress today! 202-224-3121
Get involved! Contact the UJP Afghanistan Task Force for information.
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United for Justice with Peace is a coalition of peace and justice organizations and community peace groups in the Greater Boston region. The UJP Coalition, formed after September 11th, seeks global peace through social and economic justice. 
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